No Matter What
by whitemokona234
Summary: Marth was being abused. He managed to escape the horrors of his home. Ike met him at the hospital. He vowed to take care of him. Marth thinks love at first sight. Ike isn't sure what to think. How will fate play this out?
1. The Creepy House on the Hill

Since 99% of stories I read about Marth say he'd been abused by his father and stuff like that, I wanted to see how far I could go on the torture levels with this… Okay, that sounded bad… You'll get what I mean when you read this…

I do not own Fire Emblem (if that's what Marth and Ike come from, cuz you know I have no idea). I also do not own any of the various games that any of the other characters come from, except for maybe Mario and Link or something like that. And I definitely do not own the collabo of those games, Super Smash Brothers. I just own the plot for this story, and the two OC's I just threw in here :D Enjoy.

No Matter What

It was just a normal day on Smash Manor Avenue. School was out for the weekend, and all the children were finding various ways to entertain themselves. The younger children were playing tag. The older children were gossiping or riding their bikes, or even just sleeping. And the adults sat happily on their porches, watching their children play. Yes, everything was well within Smash Manor Avenue. Or, that's what it would seem.

For at the top of a hill in this peaceful neighborhood, in the largest and most expensive looking house, lived a family. No one knew much about this family, though. In fact, no one thought anyone lived in the large house. It was always dark inside, and there were no normal noises coming from the house. A few believed the house was haunted, for every night blood curdling screams erupted from the attic, and you could hear the sound of a whip cracking and flesh ripping echoing through the night.

But that all changed when they saw a young man come from the third story window one Saturday afternoon. At first, no one noticed him trying to climb out. But as they heard a loud thud and went to investigate, they saw him slowly rise from the bushes he fell into.

He looked terrible. Bruises littered his body, and there were so many of them you could barely see any pale skin. One of his eyes was bruised shut, and the other was straining to stay open. He had a limp in his walk as he tried to get to the people around him and it seemed his arm was broken, by the way he held it.

A small blond boy walked up to him fearfully in an attempt to get a better look. He couldn't help but notice as he got closer that this boy was breathing so hard… He couldn't even get a sentence out before the boy fainted, falling face first into the grass.

"Someone help him!" a girl cried, kneeling beside him.

"I'll go call an ambulance!" an adult shouted, running back into his own house.

"Will he be okay…?" some of the smaller children asked, not yet grasping the seriousness of this situation.

"What happened to him…?"

"Did he get hurt in the haunted house?"

"No one's supposed to go in there…!"

"He was so stupid!"

"Get him help!"

"What is taking so long!"

"Finally!"

"Hello? Hello? Sir, wake up…! If you can hear me, blink twice… Sir? If you can hear me, blink two times…!"

The young man heard all these different voices coming from every direction, each voice sounding more urgent than the last. Although, this voice seemed more instructive than the others, and he found himself trying to blink his half-way working eye.

"Pl… ease… h-he… h-help m-me…" he murmured, trying to gather enough strength to save the rest of his family from the monster within their home. "H-help m-me… s-save… them…"

"Sir, we need you to relax. You're very badly hurt and until we get you evaluated, you're gonna have to take it easy."

"M-mother… E-El… E-Elisse…"

"J-just calm down sir, we're getting you inside the building!"

"El… isse…"

"This isn't good, he's fading out on us!"

"Well, help him! Get him some fluids, stat!"

"Clear the way! This is an emergency!"

"H-help… them…"

"We're losing him! We're losing him!"

Soon, to the blue-haired boy, everything was just a blur of colors and gravelly voices. And even sooner than that, he was out cold again.

_**Changing PoV…**_

I watched as that injured boy was wheeled into an emergency room, leaving me behind. They told me I couldn't go. They said I wasn't his family, so I'm not allowed any further. Where are the kid's parents? And why was he in that creepy old house up the hill anyway? No one ever goes in there.

Still, I couldn't help but worry about this boy. It seemed as though he'd been tortured every day of his life. I got a good look at him back in the neighborhood when he passed out. He only had three fingernails, and two were struggling to grow back. He had several cuts on most of his bruises, as if someone tried to get the fluid out the wound only for him to get hurt again. Aside from the black and blue that littered his body, there was also green and yellow from infections that were starting or already had spread. And his face…

Other than his eyes, that seemed to be the only thing that wasn't hurt. His face was almost spotless, besides maybe some dirt and a little blood. I liked his face. It seemed so pure… But I hated his expression. It was contorted with pain and misery and… concern.

Speaking of which, why was he telling us to save his mother and some girl named Elisse? We don't know where they are. Is he gonna tell us when he wakes up? If he wakes up…

Wait, why am I worrying so much about this? I got school tomorrow! I don't even know this kid! Ugh, I get stuck with everything, don't I…?

"Sir…? Hello?" I turned my head in the direction of the new voice to see a nurse with a clipboard.

"Yeah?" I answer.

"Are you here to see the young man who was badly hurt…?"

"Uh… yeah, I guess."

"Well, he's in recovery right now. He's lost a lot of blood, but he should be fine by the morning and ready to go back to school."

"Really…? But what about all those cuts and bruises…?"

"Yes, those… The cuts have been bandaged up, and we've given him some medicated cream to help him with the bruises."

"But… he fell from a third story window…"

"That's another thing I wanted to discuss with you…" The nurse looked from one side to the other, then took my arm and guided me behind some curtains. "You see, the fall didn't cause him any real damage, just a small fracture." she said in a softer voice.

"Well, that's good right…?" I asked in a softer voice as well, knowing I'd probably get shushed if I spoke any louder.

"Well, yes… but the X-rays we took of him before we started the procedure showed something a bit… disturbing…"

"Disturbing?" What could possibly be disturbing about his X-rays? I mean, he probably just had some broken bones, since he was so badly beat up. How bad could that be?

"W-well… uh… just take a look and see for yourself…" She reaches into the yellow folder on her clipboard and takes out his X-rays, placing them in a box on the wall that I'm just now noticing. She flips on this switch on one side of the box and I can see just what she meant by _disturbing_.

"… What the hell is all that…?" I asked in shock, not believing what I was seeing. This kid's stomach was just… littered with all kinds of shit that didn't even look like it belonged there. And it looked like they were stuck in there, too…

"We haven't identified all of them yet, since his stomach has tried to digest it, but there were various pieces of metal and about a pound of stuffing from toy animals and even a medium sized piece of plastic Tupperware…"

I looked back at the nurse as if she'd grown a second head. "… You mean to tell me he's been eating this shit?"

"On the contrary… I don't think he's been eating it _willingly_."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You can't see it in these X-rays, but as we were doing the procedure, he coughed up a little blood. After the surgery was done, we took a look at his throat and there were many little cuts in there as well."

"What does that _mean_?"

"It means… someone forced these items down his throat… he didn't really have a choice…" My mind was reeling now. Forced? To eat this shit? What kind of twisted person feeds a kid Tupperware for God's sake? "And on top of that, it seems as though he was chained up high and forced to hang from his ankles a lot."

"How do you know that…?"

"There were many signs, like the dizziness and lack of balance from trying to stand a while ago. But, we have a CAT-Scan of him too…" she said, putting up the picture in the box. "And these blood vessels here seem a little worn out, as if they'd filled with blood and expanded, then shrunk back over and over again. This boy was tortured by someone for… a number of years. The fact he's still alive is a miracle…"

I took a minute to kinda bathe in all this information. So he looked like that… because he'd been tortured…? He came from that creepy old house at the top of the hill. Maybe those stupid rumors were true and you will suffer dire consequences if you go inside. This kid here was enough proof to go on. "… I'd like to see him…"

"Right this way…" The nurse stepped from behind the curtain, then led me down this really long hallway. I always hated hospitals. Why did all the walls have to be so white…? "He's in here…" she said, then stepped around me and back down the hallway. I took a moment to think if I was actually going to do this, then decided he had no one else, so I might as well go inside. Although, when I opened the door, I certainly was not expecting what I got.

I hadn't even opened it all the way, and I could already hear the poor kid screaming, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! Please, I beg you, don't hurt me!"

"Whoa, whoa, hey. I'm not going to hurt you… I don't even know you who you are, I definitely won't hurt you…" I said. What had happened to this kid?

_**Changing PoV…**_

I raised my arms over my face as the door opened. I knew it had to be my father. Who knows how long I'd been outside? He's probably already figured out I'm gone and here to take me back and hurt me even more. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! Please, I beg you, don't hurt me!" I begged him, hoping he'd at least wait until I could stand straight.

"Whoa, whoa, hey. I'm not going to hurt you… I don't even know you are, I definitely won't hurt you…" That's not father's voice. And it definitely isn't mother's or Elisse's… So who's here to see me…?

I took my arms down from my face and I see this… man. Or at least I'm pretty sure he's a man. He's tall, so he could be older than me… But his face makes him look like we could be the same age… "Wh-who are you…?" I asked, cowering under my blanket.

"My name's Ike… I'm one of the people who helped you get here…"

"O-oh…" I looked down at the bright white bed sheets in front of me, trying to piece together what happened. All I can get is a blur of voices and sirens.

I heard the man clear his throat. Twice. I guess he got tired of the silence after that. "Mind telling me your name…?"

"… I-I don't know…"

"You don't know your own name?"

"N-no… I mean… I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you my name…"

"You're not-? What do you mean 'if you're allowed'? Who isn't allowed to tell people their names…?"

"Me, sometimes… and my older sister…"

"Older sister…? Wait, is that the 'Elisse' girl you were mumbling about when we found you…?"

"Oh no, you heard me? That's not good! I-I could get in trouble! He could find me! He could kill her! He could kill both of us!" I started panicking, pulling slightly at my already worn out hair. I never meant for them to hear me! I never meant to tell anyone! I could be killed for this! Father will not be happy if this gets out because of me!

"Who? Who could kill you? The person who tortured you?"

I gasped, looking up at him with worried eyes. "H-how do you know that…?"

"Well, for one, we found you looking like a black and blue broken pumpkin. And two, the nurse could tell by what was in your stomach and the way your throat looked and by the way your brain looked. There were a lot of signs, kid."

I felt as if my whole world was crashing down around me again. Were they really that obvious…? How would father take to that?

"Mind telling me where you live, kid…?"

"The house I came out of…" I said, still in a state of shock. I heard him suck in a breath sharply, and turning my head to look at him, he seemed shocked at my answer. "Something wrong?"

"You mean to tell me you live in that creepy house up the hill?"

"Of course I do…"

"B-but no one lives there!"

"Um, I do. Me, my mother, my father, and my sister. We all live there."

"Since when?"

"Since Elisse was born."

"But that place is haunted!"

"Wh-what…? Haunted…? Why would you think that…?"

"Because there's always screaming coming fr- Oh… th-that's… that's you, isn't it…?"

"What's me…?"

"The screams in the middle of the night. That's you, isn't it?"

I couldn't answer him. If I did, Father was sure to kill me! Or worse… I was already in enough trouble for escaping again. I don't want him to find me…

Ike sighed, I think he's getting frustrated with me a little. "Alright, so you don't have to tell me… But since it's so obvious, you're not going back there." he said.

"What… what do you mean…?"

"I mean, since you're being tortured at that house you're not going back there. You're coming to live with me until this whole thing gets sorted out." he explained.

I looked up at him, a bit confusedly. Was he being serious…? "I-I'm coming with you…? B-but you don't even know my name…"

"Well… I'll give you a nick-name or something until you tell me what it is." Ike smiled, and it made a little butterfly appear in my stomach. "I don't wanna see you like that again, so you're coming to live with me and heal and go to school and everything else a normal kid would do… You are a kid, right…?"

"I-I'm… s-seventeen…"

"Good. You'll be in the classes with me then." Ike smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed, taking one of my hands. I looked down at it, and hated what I saw. Burn marks and several bandages trying to cover them all. Ike gripped my hand slightly, and I looked back up at him. "Everything will work out just fine for you." I smiled up at his kind words, but inside I knew the truth. I'm doomed to die, or suffer the fact that I've killed the only family that loved me… my mother and dear sister Elisse…

_**END**_

Okay, so what do you think so far? I realize that I may have gone a bit too far already, but there's more to the story of Marth's horrible torture in what is known as the Lowell household. A little will be revealed in the next chapter (hopefully) and then a great big sundae of it will be revealed in the chapter afterward (once again, hopefully) Oh, and just in case I forget, next chapter begins on the next day. XD Review!


	2. First Morning

Here's chapter two! Hope you guys aren't too sore at me for hurting poor Marthy like that…

I do not own Fire Emblem (if that's what Marth and Ike come from, cuz you know I have no idea). I also do not own any of the various games that any of the other characters come from, except for maybe Mario and Link or something like that. And I definitely do not own the collabo of those games, Super Smash Brothers. I just own the plot for this story, and the two OC's I just threw in here :D Enjoy.

No Matter What

After a few hours of what seemed to be dead-end conversations and awkward stares and… just a whole embarrassing situation, the blue-haired boy was allowed out of the hospital and was given to Ike to be taken care of. Ike couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor kid. The entire time he was wheeling him to his house, he kept trying to look in every direction, despite the nurses having told him to calm down and take it easy. And every time Ike asked him about it, he would just say "I know that… that Father's watching…" or "Father will take me away from you and kill me, I just know it!" or bawl uncontrollably with exclamations of "I've gotten my mother and older sister killed! It's all my fault!" And Ike, who had never ever had to be tender or kind to anyone in his whole life, was baffled as to what to do. He had gotten about half of the way to his house, and this kid didn't seem like he was getting tired any time soon.

Luckily for him, looks were deceiving, for as soon as they got onto his street, he fell asleep from so much crying and just sheer exhaustion. Ike smiled at the sleeping blunette, giving his creepy home a disapproving look. How could such an innocent looking boy have gone through such torture without anyone knowing? They all lived there! Why couldn't someone have just had the balls to go in and investigate the weird noises and screams?

As he thought about it, however, he realized he was just as much at fault. He opened his front door and wheeled the poor boy in, immediately being greeted by his younger sister. "Big brother! Big brother! Is that the guy who went to the hospital today? What's he doing here? Shouldn't he be there? Tell me, big brother, tell me!" she said cheerily, paying little attention to the boy in the chair.

Ike quickly hushed her by putting his fingers to his lips, looking around. "Where's dad?" he asked, wheeling the boy along and, picking him easily up out of the chair, carrying the blunette to his room upstairs. The little girl followed along behind him, still wanting answers.

"Daddy's sleeping! He said-" She was shushed again, following her older brother into his room. She finally caught the message to stay quiet and began to whisper. "Daddy said he wanted to talk to you tomorrow, since he didn't see you when he got back here… Now, tell me what happened at the hospital…! I wanna know, I wanna know…!"

Having set the sleeping boy on his bed and tucked him under the covers, Ike felt it was safe to just leave him alone and sleep on the couch for the night. After all, the kid had been tortured by his own flesh and blood for… who knows how long! He left his room, closing the door behind him and his little sister in tow. She kept pestering him for information and he smiled down at her, ruffling her hair.

"So Mist…" he said quietly. "You really wanna know what happened…?"

"Yeah, yeah…! Tell me, big brother…!" she whispered.

Ike herded the little girl into her room, pointing for her to get in the bed. Thinking she'd get it as a bedtime story, she got in and let him tuck her into the covers. He kneeled beside her bed and chuckled at her gullibility. "Well, I'll tell you after school…"

"Aw, but why?" she whined, trying to get back up.

"Because…" Ike started, pushing her back down. "Little girls like you should be sleeping in bed by now…"

"I'm not… that little…" Mist pouted, starting to feel a bit tired from the snugness of her bed.

"Sure you're not… I'll see you when I get back from school tomorrow…" Ike chuckled, kissing her forehead and leaving the room. He slowly closed the door and made his journey downstairs to the couch. As he got comfortable, he thought of a way he'd explain the new guest his father was bound to find in the morning. He did always wake up before he did, since his alarm clock always failed to wake him up.

The next morning, there was the sound of an alarm clock, then some screaming, then everyone of the Greil household trying to find the source of the screaming. Ike's father found it first, then Mist, and lastly Ike, who was instantly at the other blunette's side in an attempt to calm him. "What's wrong?" he yelled over the alarm.

"Wh-what's that noise? Is father here to get me!" he yelled in response, covering his ears and crying a little.

"Wha-? No! No, that's just… Ugh…" Getting tired of having to yell over it, Ike hit the alarm button and turned off the rather loud noise. "See? It was just my clock… There's nothing to be scared of…" he explained, using a tender voice he'd only used with Mist.

The boy still didn't take his face away from Ike's shoulder, but he nodded against his skin. And when he realized Ike wasn't wearing a shirt, or any pants for that matter, he turned scarlet and shied away, taking interest in the wall beside him.

Ike smiled, actually finding that kind of cute. But he didn't have time to dwell on that thought, as his father cleared his throat. "And, Ike, who may this be?" he asked, his voice tired and gravelly.

"Dad… This is… This is… Well, he hasn't told me… his name yet… But, there's a good reason as to why he's here!" Ike rambled, wondering how he'd break it to his dad. It was five in the morning, the bus wouldn't be coming around until another hour and a half, and this was not the way he'd imagined explaining to his dad why there was a complete stranger in their house.

"… Well, I'm waiting…" his father growled, obviously becoming annoyed with the delay. "Why's he here?"

"I… He… Well…" Ike fumbled for something to say, and then Mist came to his rescue.

"This is the boy I told you about yesterday, Daddy! The boy who got hurt and had to go to the hospital!" she said cheerily, running over to the trembling boy and sitting on his lap.

As he yelped in fear, Ike nodded in agreement. "Yeah! He was sent to the hospital, and I couldn't just let him be there alone! So, I went with him, and we found out some things, and he'll be staying with us for a while…"

"And, what gives you the right to give this complete stranger residence in our home?" his father asked, sounding completely outraged. Ike sighed and took his father by the shoulder, leading him out of earshot from the room and leaving the stranger alone with Mist.

Mist, on the other hand, was not about to spare the injured teen. She stared at him intently, as if thinking very hard about something, then just burst out with about a question every other second. "Hey, I'm Mist! What's your name! I'm 8-years-old! How old are you? How'd you meet my brother? Do you go to school with him? Why were you so hurt yesterday! Did they give you shots while you were at the hospital! Why's your hair blue? Even though big brother's hair is blue, it's kinda weird to see you with blue hair! Hey, I know, you wanna play tea party with me when you come back from school!"

The injured teen didn't know what to do. She was talking a mile a minute, and he just knew she wouldn't stop anytime soon. So he tried his best to smile, even though his throat hurt from screaming earlier. "Well, um…" he started, stopping her in mid-question. "I'm 17-years-old… I just met your brother yesterday… I'm not sure if I got any shots yesterday or not… I-I get my blue hair from my mom… and, I think a tea party with you would be just lovely…" he said, avoiding her painful questions.

"Yay! Tea party, tea party!" Mist cheered, running off to her room to gather her tea party accessories.

He hadn't lied, a nice tea party with… what was her name…? Mist…? Yes, Mist. A tea party with her sounded wonderful. Perhaps it would rid him of his horrible memories, if even for a little while.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the kitchen, Ike was talking with his father about his living arrangements. "Please, dad! C'mon! I mean, look at him! He looks terrible! We can't just send him back to that… that hell-hole! He'll die!" he argued.

"He survived this long, didn't he? Look, we just don't have any room for him here."

"Yes we do!"

"Oh really? Where will he sleep?"

"My room! I like this couch better anyway!"

"How will he eat?"

"We have enough food in this house to feed 20 more people! I'm sure one person won't be that big of a difference!"

"What if his father comes for him?"

"Tell him he's not here!"

"What if he offers me money?"

"Dad, you own one of the best production factories in the world. Why would _you _need money from _them_?"

Ike had posed some good arguments, ones that his father could not argue against. He sighed in defeat, then waved a dismissive hand. "Fine, he can stay. But if he becomes a problem, he's going back up the hill…" he muttered, walking back to his room, no doubt going back to sleep.

Ike felt overwhelmed that his injured house guest could stay. He was so happy about it, that when he got upstairs, he didn't notice the boy coming toward him and walked right into him. "Oh God, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" he said, seeing he had made him fall backward. It made him embarrassed to know this was how they were starting off, but it didn't look like he minded.

"I… it's okay…" he murmured, rubbing his head. "It… could've been worse…" Ike extended a hand, and he happily took it, getting back up and straightening out the hospital gown he wore.

It was then Ike realized. "You're small…"

"What…?"

"Y-you're body… You're really small. I might not have any clothes that fit you… Or underwear for that matter…" The boy went scarlet again, and this time Ike gaped at it before going over to his drawers. "I might have some old clothes you can use, but… I don't know…" About ten minutes after he'd made that statement, and looking in his bottom drawer, he had found dozens of old clothes he didn't fit anymore. They were too small for him, and too big for Mist. And on top of that, the girl refused to wear his old clothes anyway. She claimed they were too 'big brother-y' for her. Also in that drawer, he'd managed to find a bunch of smaller pairs of boxers he could fit. They were clean, he just knew it. If they weren't, there was no way they would've made it in his drawer.

"Here, take these…" Ike said, handing the boy a t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and of course, a pair of boxers. "There are two bathrooms, one up here, and one downstairs. Go ahead and take one of those. If you need me, I'll be in here…" he explained. He turned back to the drawers, looking for something he himself could wear.

The boy looked absolutely delighted at the thought of getting clean again, and although Ike didn't see it, he bowed in thanks and ran off to the closest bathroom Ike had mentioned.

_**Changing PoV…**_

As I ran the water for a shower, I thought over what I could do to repay Ike. I mean, he's letting me stay in his home, and use his shower, wear his clothes, and attend the same school! And I haven't even told him my name!

Maybe… I could start with that… Telling him my name… I mean, it's not like Father would hurt me any less if I had told them my name. It would all be the same. And… who knows…? He might already think I'm dead, since I was in such bad shape when he left me. Him and that devil he brought with him. He could've helped me, and yet he…

That's not important now! Now, what's important is the call of soap and hot water that I want to answer so badly. I took a step inside, not even the slightest bit bothered by the sweltering hot water. It wasn't as bad as when Father poured hot tar all over my back. Not nearly as bad…

_**Changing PoV…**_

I heard the shower running, and I just knew the boy was fine. At first, I thought he might have a little trouble. Who knew the last time he showered? Or taken a bath? Or gotten clean by anything, for that matter.

I just sat and waited for him to come back to my room, my clothes in hand. Really, I hadn't showered in a while myself. Today's early wake-up call really came in handy. As long as he doesn't take too long, we should be able to catch the bus, with time to eat breakfast.

_**Changing PoV…**_

I was so happy about the thought of cleaning away years worth of abuse, I didn't pay attention to how much time I was spending. But I soon realized it was too much when a sudden knock at the bathroom door and an exclamation of, "Hey! How long are you going to take in there!" made me hurry along.

I was in such a hurry, that I didn't really think about what I did… I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my body, deciding to cover my chest too. I had taken off my bandages before stepping into the shower, to get my wounds cleaned a little too, and I didn't want anyone to see them. Then, I grabbed the borrowed clothes and unlocked the door, keeping my head down as I stepped out.

_**Changing PoV…**_

Whoa. Just whoa. When I had suggested for him to hurry up, I didn't mean for him to walk out in just a towel, all wet and cute and…

What the hell! What was I just thinking? Seriously, what was that? I haven't even known this kid for a whole 24 hours yet, and he's already made a sexual imprint in my mind! Pull it together, self! You're stronger than this! I had to keep thinking that over and over as I walked into the now steamy bathroom, choking on how thick the air was. God, how hot was the water?

_**Changing PoV… (sorry, this is the last time)**_

The blunette waited patiently in Ike's room, taking in everything about it. It was kind of messy. Well, kind of may have been an understatement… Seriously, it looked like a tornado came through that whole room. Did Ike ever clean his room? From the way things looked, it didn't seem like he did.

That's when it came to him. Something he could do to make up for staying there! Before being pushed into something worse than slavery, his father used to make him cook for everyone and clean every room and care for every pet they had. He still remembered how to do all that! He could repay them with some good old fashioned housekeeping! And, perhaps, he'd enjoy it, since he wasn't being forced to do it! It was brilliant! And he just knew, he'd be starting with Ike's room when they got back.

It seemed only a few moments after this epiphany that Ike appeared, looking a bit fresher than before. He was wearing a navy blue t-shirt, some slightly baggy looking jeans, and sneakers. When he noticed his guest had no shoes, he just handed him an old pair of sandals and said, "Take 'em. We'll get you some new things after school today."

Before the injured boy even had a chance to thank him, Ike was grabbing his house keys and dragging him out the house, claiming the bus was probably already outside.

_**END**_

I can't believe I wrote all this in under an hour! XD Hurray for me! Anyway, moving on. So, next chapter takes place at the school. Marthy's first day! OMG, yay! Next chapter people! Please stay with me, because I promise this will get better! And then it will get romantic, then angsty, and then happy endings for (almost) everyone! Review~!


	3. First Day At School

Chapter three! I may just finish this while my internet is down… ooh! Or, I could hold a contest, to see who can guess what's going to happen in the last chapter. Cuz I guarantee, no one will get it. XD But if you do, I will give you a reward. And cry because you guessed it right.

Okay, so this chapter is about what's going to happen on Marth's first day of school. There's some breaking down, and a little consolation from an over-protective!Ike, and you'll meet the people who were screaming in the first chapter.

I do not own Fire Emblem (if that's what Marth and Ike come from, cuz you know I have no idea). I also do not own any of the various games that any of the other characters come from, except for maybe Mario and Link or something like that. And I definitely do not own the collabo of those games, Super Smash Brothers. I just own the plot for this story, and the two OC's I just threw in here :D Enjoy.

No Matter What

As Ike predicted, the bus was already outside, and the blunette pair caught it just before the bus driver decided to pulled off. Ike led his new housemate near the back, since that's where he usually sat and he didn't feel comfortable leaving the boy by himself yet.

He ushered the boy into the seat first, then sat on the outside, looking over to some of his friends. The first one he noticed was a girl with blonde hair that came a little further than her shoulders. She wore a pink hoodie, that had a picture of a little black and white puppy on the front, a jean miniskirt, and pink and white converse sneakers. "Ike!" she said, her bright blue eyes lighting up with joy. "That was a relief, I thought you'd missed the bus! Again!"

There was a giggle from beside her, and Ike knew who that was. "Peach's joke wasn't all that funny, Zelda…" he muttered, hoping they didn't embarrass him too bad today.

Zelda leaned forward, revealing herself to Ike. She wore a purple and black striped-sleeved shirt, with a pair of dark jeans and black slip-on shoes. She had two parts in the front of her hair braided, white ribbons joining the braid, and so long they stopped just above her stomach. The rest of her hair stopped just before they touched the bus seat.

"I don't know, I thought it was pretty funny…" she giggled, trying to cover her smile with her hand. She loved to tease Ike like that. Both the girls did.

The mystery blunette shyly looked at the two girls, too shy to say hello. So, he poked Ike's arm, hoping to get him to do it instead.

The bigger blunette felt hesitant poking on his arm, and turned, only to remember he had brought a newcomer with him. "Guys, remember that kid we saw yesterday?" he started.

"Yeah, what happened to him?" Zelda asked, all traces of amusement now absent from her face.

"Is he still in the hospital? Oh, if he is, let's go visit him and give him some nice things. It must've been horrible being in that haunted house for… f-for… oh, who knows how long!" Peach cried, with her brunette friend nodding in agreement.

The smaller boy couldn't believe his ears. These two girls… they cared about him so much… and they didn't even know who he was! Almost like how Ike was caring for him by letting him stay in his house. Now he knew Ike deserved to know his name. And perhaps these girls too…

Ike looked behind him, then moved out the way slightly. "Well, here he is…" The smaller boy tried to hide again, but Ike had his back flat against the seat and was sucking in air to make himself that much thinner. There was nowhere he could hide, so he settled for waving at the two girls.

The girls in question gasped in shock. It was him! And he looked so much better than yesterday! Peach squealed with happiness, and Zelda gave a sigh of relief. "Oh my gosh, thank goodness! You're okay! I thought for sure that… th-that… oh, that doesn't matter now, you're okay!" Peach squealed, reaching her arms forward to try and envelop the boy in a hug. Zelda kept her back though, knowing the full on danger of hugging an excited Peach.

"Kid, these are my friends. That's Zelda Hyrule, and the blonde is Peach Stool." Ike introduced them, and they waved at the mentioning of their names.

"Hey Ike, why'd you call him _kid_?" Zelda asked, switching places with the squealing blonde. "Don't you know his name?"

Ike rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly, glancing at the boy as he spoke. "W-well, uh… he didn't tell me his name yet…"

"Well, why n-"

"I-I will…" the blunette spoke up, blushing scarlet as he did. All attention was turned to him, and he blushed deeper. "I-I just… I-it's the least I can do… to repay you all for… c-caring so much…" he replied from behind his hand, unable to look at them. Peach squealed even louder, Zelda smiled, and Ike just looked at him in shock. He didn't think he'd get his name so fast. But, maybe he shouldn't be complaining about that.

The bus made a few more stops, and Ike introduced the young boy to a few more friends, who had caught the news about him via Facebook. He seemed to be very popular, and the more they showed their concern for him, the more he felt obligated to tell them his name. Any and all thoughts about his father coming after him flew out the window, and he felt a sense of love he hadn't felt in a long time…

The bus finally pulled to a stop in front of a large, fading-yellow building. There were a bunch of teens still walking through the front door, and the bus load of them just turned the trickle into a river.

Ike was holding the boy's hand, leading him through the hallways to the main office. It may have been a late start for him, seeing as it was the last week in February, but he was sure he'd be able to get him to cope. They reached the principal's office, and the smaller almost trembled as he heard a strong voice yell at poor employees. "Wh-who's that?" he stuttered, cowering behind his savior.

"That's Principal Aran. She may seem really scary on the outside, but once she sees you and hears your story, she'll be your best friend." Ike reassured, dragging him into the office.

Principal Samus Aran sat down at her desk, almost exhausted. The day hadn't even started yet, and already she was tired! Something had to be done, working with these idiots was driving her insane! She had no other time to continue on this inner rant, as the door to her office. "I didn't say you could-!"

"Principal Aran!" Ike called, having felt an obligation to say it. As soon as he heard her voice, the smaller boy cowered behind him. The blonde woman instantly stopped in what would probably be her worst break down ever.

"Ah, Mr. Greil. It's nice to see you after having to deal with the idiots I have to call colleagues." she said, folding her hands in front of her face. As he expected, she had noticed his new friend rather quickly, for she said, "Who's your little friend there?"

"Principal Aran, this is… well, I don't know his name yet. He said he wouldn't tell anyone until first period. Which, I was hoping, he could get the same schedule as me…?" Ike asked tentatively, watching the woman's expression.

Principal Aran raised an eyebrow at his request, looking over to the boy. "And why should I allow him into this school so willingly? You know that this is a school for gifted students of academic or physical activities, or simply those who can afford to attend school here."

"I-I…" the boy started again, keeping his head down. "M-my mother… she said I have the intellectual abilities of a professor with a degree of the highest category… I-if I can prove that to you, c-can I stay…?" he said. The blonde stared at him a while, so long that Ike thought they'd be late to the first class.

She finally just waved her hand, sighing through her nose. "Fine. I'll let you in. And you can have Ike's schedule, so he can be accountable for you." The boy lit up with happiness, and Ike sighed in relief. "However… I'm coming with you to your first period, since I have to know your name. To put in the database…"

"That sounds reasonable enough…" Ike said, wanting to hurry up and get it over with. He took the boy's hand again as he stood, hurriedly leading him out the office and practically dragging him to their first class. Principal Aran decided to put away a few papers before taking her time in walking to their class.

Luckily for them, the bell rang about a split second after they had gotten through the door. "Greil!" shouted the teacher, pointing his ruler at him.

Ike flinched before turning slightly, a nervous grin on his face. "Yes, Mr. Redd?" he asked, still holding onto the boy's hand.

"First off, I've told you about your tardiness, Greil…" the noirette sneered. "And second, who is this?" he added, pointing his ruler over at his companion.

"Well, this is, uh… um…"

"Funny, I don't think I know anyone named Uh Um… Interesting name."

"That's not his name!" Ike defended, bringing the boy forward a little. "This is a new kid! He got the same schedule as me."

"That doesn't explain his name."

"He wouldn't tell me what it is… But he'll tell us now, won't you, kid?"

The blunette nodded, then looked up at the teacher. He was tall too, but just a little shorter than Ike. He had black hair, and wore a red vest over a black t-shirt. He wore a simple pair of light blue jeans with black, red, and white sneakers and a black, red, and white hat. He looked almost like a kid himself. But, his voice from earlier intimidated him.

He was beginning to rethink his decision, when he saw Principal Aran at the door. He knew that in order for him to stay there, he had to tell them his name. But he still felt a little apprehensive about it. So he turned to Ike. He knew Ike was nice enough to introduce him to everyone, so now would probably be the time. He tugged on Ike's sleeve, and when he leaned down, he whispered his name into his ear.

"Your name is… Ah, okay… He says his name is Marth Lowell…" Ike said, loud enough for the principal to hear. "Marth Lowell… Lowell… Isn't that name important, or something…?"

Mr. Redd didn't seem to pay it any mind, though his mind was reeling. Being a history teacher, he studied the origins of his student's last names, and he knew that the Lowell family was the very first in the slave trade history! So why was it they were just getting him here…? "Well, Mr. Lowell, do you have any academic skills?" he asked.

"Wh-which… s-subject is this cl-class…?" he asked quietly, wanting to make sure he showed the right skills in the right class.

"This is World History." Marth cleared his throat, then stepped up to the board.

_**Warning: The next sentence is due to pure laziness in the event that I don't want to type out a long speech. If you want to know something Marth said, well, look something long and boring up on Wikipedia. **_**I**

Mr. Redd couldn't believe his ears. Finally, someone on his level of understanding! This boy was reciting things that most children couldn't get if they'd wrote it on the backs of their hands. The words flowed clearly, and there was never a moment of 'uh' or 'um' within any of the speech. He even made it interesting, since all of the kids were paying attention! It was sheer genius!

Marth finished his amazing speech, and everyone, even Principal Aran, applauded. She came into the room, patting his shoulder and smiling down at him. "That was amazing! How do you know so much, Marth?" she asked.

"W-well… growing up the way I did, reading things helped a lot…" he answered, a bit shaken up from all the praise he'd received.

"What do you mean…?" the blonde asked. Then, Ike stepped in, giving Marth a little push and gesturing for him to sit wherever he wanted.

"Principal Aran, Marth has had some, uh… bad experiences at home…" he whispered to her.

"How bad…?" she whispered back. Ike looked back at Marth for permission. There was a bit of hesitation before Marth nodded and Ike began ushering the principal from the room to discuss the matter privately.

At first, Marth was happy sitting in the class and actually listening to information instead of reading it all by himself. But, all the stares he was receiving made him uncomfortable, and he wished he had Ike back by his side. Eventually, one kid was brave enough to talk to him, tapping his shoulder. He jumped slightly and turned, glad to see he was just over-reacting. "H-hello…" he whispered, fully aware that you aren't supposed to talk in class.

"Hey there… My name's Yoshi…" the boy whispered back, a grin growing on his face. "That was some kinda speech you gave… You should tutor some kids some time…" he said.

Marth took a moment to study this person. Tousled light green hair, dark blue eyes… a dark green hooded sweater, black jeans, and red shoes… He seemed like someone who would make children laugh, really. Maybe it'd be fun to be his friend. But, he would ask Ike about it first, since Ike seemed to know so much anyway.

Said blunette walked back into the room about ten minutes later, looking rather accomplished as he sat down in the empty seat beside Marth. He leaned over slightly, whispering to him. "She said you could stay… and we can have the same schedule…"

Marth felt overjoyed. He was going to go to school! A school with other children his age! And no scary intentions in the punishments! Now he felt even safer in the event that his father couldn't get to him. The only problem he had left to conquer was… How would he get his mother and sister out of that horrible place?

"So, did you make any new friends…?" Ike whispered, looking at the board.

"U-um… Y-Yoshi…?" Marth said, a bit unsure. "A-and, he p-pointed out… Mario and L-Luigi…?"

"Oh, those are cool guys… But, Mario's kinda weird… The way he eats things looks kinda gross…" Marth didn't know whether that meant Mario was good or bad. Maybe he'd just ask Ike later what he should do.

The rest of the period was fairly quiet, besides the teacher teaching and a few questions being answered, mostly by the ever-so-brilliant Marth. Then, it was on to third period, which sort of went on like first period.

Third period was a math class, and Marth wowed everyone in Mr. Watch's class* with a super huge, impossibly hard math question that he solved in about 20 seconds. Work shown and everything. Then, there came lunch time.

"So… Ike…?" Marth asked quietly, picking at the food that sat before him. All that stuff on the plate looked fake to him, nothing he'd ever cooked looked anything like that.

"Yeah, what's up?" Ike said, through a mouthful of food.

"… Is Mario good or bad…?"

"Oh, I didn't mean anything when I said he eats weird! I mean, it's just… I've never seen anyone like ice cream mixed with spaghetti. Maybe without the sauce, but… That just seems kinda gross to me."

Marth himself did make a face as he thought of spaghetti and ice cream, but he supposed that wasn't enough to base a friend off of. He took a small bite of something that looked like broccoli on the plate, and was appalled with how bad it tasted. He looked over at Ike's plate and was almost disturbed he was eating it. "H-how do you eat this…?"

"Eh, after a while you get past the bad taste. And besides, I didn't eat breakfast this morning…" Ike responded, looking at Marth's plate. "Are you gonna finish that?" The smaller blunette shook his head, and Ike took that as a go to scarf down his food as well.

The bell rang and lunch was over, signaling it was time to go to electives. Since he was in a household of all work, no play, Marth had no idea what electives meant. And that was the day he discovered dodge ball.

"Alright everyone…" the P.E. teacher said, holding a red rubber ball in his hands. Everyone, save for Marth who had no idea what was going on, was on the edge of their seats, ready to begin the onslaught of pain and rubber. "Today, we have a new student. And on top of that, this student is hurt… So, he'll be sitting this one out. However, it is your job as his classmates to show him just how serious dodgeball is."

As the teacher continued talking, Ike leaned down to talk to Marth again. "Mr. Falcon's always like this… He takes dodgeball very seriously, like it's signing up for the army or something…" he whispered in an amused tone.

"Dodgeball…?" Marth asked.

"You don't know what dodgeball is…?" Mr. falcon blew his whistle, and just about everyone ran onto the shiny wood floor. "Well, I'll just have to show you, then…"

Then, for the next hour and a half, Marth witnessed the horror that was dodgeball. He'd never seen so many people willingly hurting each other with something that was indestructible. His attention always kept going back to Ike, just to see if he was alright. Which, miraculously, he was. He never once got hit, despite how tall he was. Perhaps, with practice, Marth could be as good as he was.

The final bell of the day rang, and everyone filed out as fast as they could. Ike had grabbed Marth's hand again and was taking him to their bus when he ran into another one of his friends. "What's up, Link?" he said, gesturing for him to come along.

"Oh nothing much. Just wondering where the hell you were today! Who's the new kid?" the blonde said irritably.

"This is Marth. The kid from yesterday…"

"Oh my God, dude! How are you out of the hospital so fast?"

"Um… I-I…" Marth stuttered. Another person that seemed so… worried about him…

"The doctors say he wasn't all that bad, just a lot of cuts and bruises and some other things, that's all…"

"Oh… Okay then…" Marth took in what this 'Link' was like too. He had blonde hair and light blue eyes, and was wearing a lime green t-shirt and dark green jogging pants, with brown sneakers.

"Link rides our bus too. He just doesn't ride in the morning 'cause his parents drive him to school on their way to work." Ike explained as all three of them boarded the back of the bus. Marth made a face and a small noise of understanding, sitting on the inside of the seat again and staying quiet.

Peach and Zelda giggled as they took in his quiet demeanor, turning to Ike. "So, did you find out his name?" Peach asked.

"Marth Lowell." Ike said simply.

"Lowell… isn't that name important?" Zelda asked.

"I thought the same thing, but apparently not, if Mr. Redd didn't say anything about it."

The two girls 'oh'ed in understanding, while Link came up a little higher to ask Ike a question of his own. "What are you two gonna do when you get home?"

"Well, I told him we were going to get him some clothes and stuff for school, since I don't have enough back at my house."

"Ooh! I wanna come too!" Peach squealed, determination on her face.

"I don't know, I've got to ask him first."

"I-I… guess it'd be alright…" Marth said quietly from beside him, blushing and keeping his head down.

Ike had no idea what the smaller boy was blushing about, but he thought it made him look cute… Not wanting to dwell on that thought for much longer, he turned to Peach and nodded to her. "Oh yay! I saw something at the mall the other day that would suit him perfectly! Oh, you can try on all these different outfits, it'll be so much fun!"

_**END**_

Mwahahaha! I leave you with cliff-hanger! :D Anyway, not the point! Next chapter, Marth's trip to a MALL! And no, I will not spare him the heart attack of sending him to a mini mall. He's going to THE GRANDDADDY OF ALL MALLS! XD Oh dear God, what was he thinking, letting Peach pick clothes out for him? Poor Ike, he'll need a leash to keep himself off the poor boy! And what's this? Why is Marth so scared of Ike's red-headed friend on the corner? Find out in next chapter! Review!

*Mr. Gamand Watch's math class. *w* Aren't I so creative?


	4. THE GRANDDADDY OF ALL MALLS!

Chapter four! Hurray! I've written three and a half chapters in two days! XD Anyway, moving on. Marth's day out on the town! And I can stop using these acronyms because everyone knows his name now! So, what's Peach gonna dress our little guy up in? And who is this guy that Marth seems so scared of when they get back? Read on and find out!

I do not own Fire Emblem (if that's what Marth and Ike come from, cuz you know I have no idea). I also do not own any of the various games that any of the other characters come from, except for maybe Mario and Link or something like that. And I definitely do not own the collabo of those games, Super Smash Brothers. I just own the plot for this story, and the two OC's I just threw in here :D Enjoy.

No Matter What

As soon as they'd all stepped off the bus, Peach was clinging to Marth's arm, telling him of all the things she'd seen at the mall that would look just 'perfect' on him. Ike thought it was all in good fun, but he had no idea what kinds of 'perfect' things the blonde could be talking about. "So, are we taking a cab to the mall? Or, I could see if my daddy could take us!" Peach squealed, keeping a death grip on Marth's arm.

"Well, I guess we could take a cab, if someone's willing to pay for it." Ike said, finding Marth's situation amusing.

"I'll pay for one. I just got paid yesterday." Zelda said, raising her hand slightly.

"Okay, so Zelda's paying for the cab-"

"I'll pay for Marthy's clothes!" Peach cheered.

"You don't have to-"

"I said _I'm paying for his clothes._" she said in a more stern voice, stopping all arguments altogether.

"Um… Okay…? So, Zelda's paying the cab, Peach is paying for the clothes… What am I gonna pay for?" Ike said, wanting to get his money out his pocket.

"I-Ike… I, um… T-to repay you f-for letting me stay, I-I was… I was going t-to do some housekeeping for you… a-and your family…" Marth said quietly, having found a moment in Peach's squealing for him to speak. "I-if you… if you don't mind, c-could you buy s-some things… for me to make for dinner…? And maybe, for breakfast and lunch tomorrow…?"

"I… Sure, why not?" Ike said, though he was a bit confused. Housekeeper? For letting him stay? He didn't know if he liked that idea, since he was still recovering from being tortured. But, if that's what Marth wanted… who was he to deny him that?

So a cab was called, but only Ike, Peach, and Marth got in. When Ike asked Zelda why she'd pay for a cab she wouldn't ride in, she simply said, "It's for Marth." She gave them some cab fare to get back home and off they went, to the mall.

Peach was so excited when they got there, and she had yet to let go of Marth's arm. "Ooh! Let's go here! Oh wait, here! No, no let's go in here!" she shouted every two seconds, dragging poor Marth along with her, with Ike sniggering in the background.

"Geez, Peach, you sound like Mist." he teased from behind.

"Well, it's not my fault Marthy is so adorable! I mean, look at him!" she squealed, turning the somewhat scared boy to look at Ike. Ike himself had no idea what he was thinking, other than Peach could not have been more right. Marth was adorable, with that light blush on his face and his scared expression. It almost made him blush, but he cleared his mind before that could happen. "C'mon, Marthy! We're going to my sister's store!"

Marth was soon dragged off to a clothing store, and they were greeted by a brunette woman in an orange t-shirt and wrinkly skinny jeans. "Hey little sis!" the girl called, ushering them inside.

"Daisy!" Peach cheered, temporarily letting go of Marth to hug her sister. "Daisy, we've got a new friend!"

Daisy's attention soon turned to the slightly frightened blunette who was trying to hide behind Ike. She grew this eerie looking smile, and Peach grew one exactly like it. "Oh no…" Ike muttered, just before Daisy grabbed Marth and dragged him off to a dressing room.

Ike tried to go after her, but Peach stood in his way. "If you interrupt~" she started, all cheery and smiling. "I'll make sure you'll never be able to walk again…" Then she skipped off to join her sister. And Ike stayed put, not wanting his legs broken or anything worse.

_**Changing PoV…**_

I waited and waited and waited, but I didn't hear anything. I thought for sure Marth would be protesting or at least trying to run away. Who knows what they were doing to him in there! The wait was becoming agonizing, until Peach poked her blonde little head out. I didn't even let her finish what she was going to say before I was running around the corner. And I wished I'd had some warning before I did that.

Marth was even more adorable than before, and I just knew I was blushing this time. Who wouldn't? The girls had him in a jean miniskirt, something like Peach's, and a striped black and blue hooded sweater. He wasn't wearing the sandals anymore, so I guessed that they were in the dressing room somewhere. And that was the split second that my attention wasn't on Marth.

"Um… what the hell?" was the only thing I could really say. What could I say?

"Yes, yes! Just the reaction I was hoping for!" Peach cheered, pushing me closer to Marth. He looked almost as embarrassed as I felt, if not more.

"Sorry though, Marth. This was the only shirt that looked perfect on you! Too bad it's one size too big… I'll make sure to order some in your size and you can come back tomorrow and get it!" Daisy said, smiling down at him. He nodded, keeping eye contact with the floor.

"Wait… you're buying him _this_?" I asked in disbelief. She wouldn't really…

"Of course! Why not? He looks absolutely adorable! And I want to flaunt him off as much as possible as soon as these wounds heal up!" Peach declared, laughing afterward.

"B-but you can't! What will everyone else say!" I protested. No one else could see Marth like this, he wouldn't survive! Especially in a school full of horny teenagers who don't care who their with! And even more especially in a school with Roy!

"Who cares what everyone else says! Marth already said he didn't mind! Didn't you, Marthy?" Peach asked, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

Marth shook his head, still looking at the floor. It didn't seem like he wanted to, but at the same time it didn't seem like he was uncomfortable in the clothes either.

Peach claimed she had to get him some shoes to go with the outfit, and her sister went with her. So I took this time to approach Marth and see what was wrong. "Marth… are you sure you're perfectly fine with wearing this?"

"I-I… i-it's not that bad…" he replied, a bit uncomfortably. "I-it's kind of like… wh-when Elisse d-dressed me up i-in her old clothes…" I still wasn't all that sure if he wanted to go through with it, but he didn't say anything else.

I couldn't help but let my mind wander to how cute he was again. Jesus, these clothes made him look somewhat smaller than he already was! And Daisy was right, the shirt was a little big. His hands were covered up by the end of the sleeve. How do girls just know how to turn anything too cute for it's own good?

Speaking of them, they came back a little later with some boots. They explained to him that until they got around to showing him to walk in heels, he was going to wear things like combat boots. He kept looking back at me with that adorable face, and it kept making me just want to grab him and run off… I've got to calm down.

_**Changing PoV…**_

Peach and Daisy managed to find another three outfits for me before they gave up, and Peach took me to another store. I wonder what Ike thought of how I looked. He looked as red as I felt, but that could've just been because he didn't like it and was embarrassed to be around me while I looked like that. Who knows?

Peach took me to several other places, and bought me so many things. I kept trying to tell her that all this stuff was unnecessary and that she wouldn't have any money left for herself, but she would just smile and say "Oh that's okay Marthy! Now let's go in here!"

And Ike just stood and watched me the whole time. He would wait for Peach to tell him it was okay for him to look, then get all red because she'd picked something short, or girly, or tight for me to wear… On several occasions, it looked like he was worried about me, but… that could just be wishful thinking…

Eventually, the day was over and we walked over to a grocer's market so that Ike could buy some dinner for tonight, and a breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. I didn't want to take too much, but Ike insisted I take more than enough so that we'd have something for the next day, and the next day, and the next day. So I went ahead and bought a few days worth of meat, vegetables, fruits, and bread. And just for today, I went ahead and got some beef, potatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, and flour, for gravy. I could only hope that Ike and his family liked stew.

Ike paid for everything, and told me I did better than he would've, since there was still some money left. I smiled at him, but I didn't say anything. I just took the bags of food from him, while Peach gave him the bags of clothes she'd bought.

We got another cab, and paid for it with the money Zelda had given us earlier. The ride back was pretty quiet, save Peach's squealing whenever she thought of the outfits she'd gotten for me from her sister. The cab driver dropped us off at the corner, a little walk away from Ike's house. I said I didn't mind, since I had to walk a lot when I was younger. Everything was going fine, until… _he _came outside. I almost dropped the groceries when I saw him. I didn't know he lived here! What if he goes to Ike's school? What will he do if he sees me! I didn't wait to find out. Clutching the grocery bags so they wouldn't fall, I ran as fast as I could to Ike's house, keeping my face hidden so that red-headed man couldn't see me.

_**Changing PoV…**_

Ike watched in slight confusion as his friend Roy shouted a hello to him and Marth ran off. It seemed as though the red-head was taking out the trash. "What's up, Ike?" he asked, starting to come closer. "Peach take you on another shopping spree?"

"Uh, look Roy, I've gotta get home. My dad will kill me if I end up late getting home again." Ike said, running after his friend. Roy looked after him in confusion before shrugging his shoulders and going back inside. Peach, having been left behind, just went home too, reminding herself to ask Marth what was wrong when they got on the bus the next morning.

When Ike got to his front porch, the sounds of soft crying caught his attention and he was met with the sight of Marth crying in a corner. "Marth…? What's wrong…?" he asked, unsure of what to do.

"I… he… D-don't let him t-touch m-me…!" Marth cried, covering his face with his hands.

"Don't let who touch you? Who touched you?" Ike said, a streak of anger making itself known as he heard Marth cry.

"H-him! H-he did it!"

"Who's he?"

"Don't! Don't let h-him touch me!"

"Who are you talking about?" This continued for a while longer before Ike just decided it would be best to take Marth inside and let him calm down a little. He'd find out who this guy was, and when he did, there was gonna be Hell to pay…

_**END**_

Okay, so, by now you're probably wondering _What the hell is wrong with her? Ike would never act like that in a million years! And Marth would never be that submissive, ever! _That may be so, but I never said this wouldn't be OOC, did I? I didn't think so =w=

Anyway, moving on. Oh no! Marth's distraught! How's he gonna cope? Making some delicious food, that's how! Marth cooks his very first meal for the Greil family as thanks for them letting him stay. Will it be enough to get that grumpy old Greil to stop giving him those weird looks?


	5. Home Cooking

Okay, so here's chapter five! Never thought my attention span would let me get this far, but… my internet's down. That may be the only reason. Anyway! Yes, yes, the very awesome chapter five! The one where Marthy cooks some delicious food! Now, mind you, if you are hungry, I suggest you eat something before reading this chapter. XD

I do not own Fire Emblem (if that's what Marth and Ike come from, cuz you know I have no idea). I also do not own any of the various games that any of the other characters come from, except for maybe Mario and Link or something like that. And I definitely do not own the collabo of those games, Super Smash Brothers. I just own the plot for this story, and the two OC's I just threw in here :D Enjoy.

No Matter What

Once Marth had gotten in the house, the first thing he did was take the bags of food and run into the kitchen. I didn't know what to think of that, but I knew I had to put the bags I had down before I drop them and Peach get mad at me later for it. I had gone up to my room to put them away, and by the time I'd gotten back downstairs, there was the delicious smell of meat flowing through the house.

"Marth… what are you making?" I asked, following the scent into the kitchen.

I heard him sniffle before he answered. "I-I… I'm making some… s-some stew for you… a-and your family…" he said, adding some salt and pepper to the meat he was frying in a pan. How long was I upstairs that it was already sizzling in the pan?

"It smells delicious…" I said before I could stop it. Dammit, it did smell good! It looked like all sorts of spices that Marth knew belonged on meat, he just sprinkled on top of it. He shook the pan a little to fry the meat some more, then moved over to a pot of water I just noticed and chopped some carrots into it.

"Th-thank you…" he murmured, chopping five carrots, then peeling some potatoes and starting on those.

I guess the smell attracted the rest of my family too, because before I knew it, Dad and Mist were downstairs too. "What's he doing in the kitchen?" my dad practically growled. Geez, what's his problem lately?

"He's cooking for us. He says he'll be our housekeeper, since we're letting him stay." I explained, watching for any kind of reaction.

"Housekeeper? We don't need a housekeeper…" he said, though he didn't protest it further, so I guess it was alright. Mist had bounced all the way into the kitchen and was tugging at Marth's pants as he chopped a third potato into the water.

"Hey, hey! Um… uh…" she said, not really knowing what his name was. He smiled, and told her, as if he were reminding her what it was.

"Yeah, yeah, Marth! Marth, what're you making? Will it taste good? Where'd you go with big brother? Are we still having a tea party? I've got all my dolls ready and everything! We're still gonna play, right! Right?" she asked, talking a mile a minute. I was going to step in, when Marth answered her.

"When everyone's done eating, I'll come play with you… okay?" he said softly, almost like how my mom would've said it. Mist giggled and ran off, probably going back to her room so that she could get everything ready. My dad had gone off to sit in the living room and watch TV, and Marth was turning the eye that the meat was on off so it wouldn't burn. I came up closer to him.

"Y'know, you don't have to play with her. She'll just find something to play with to replace you with anyway…" I said, knowing that he was probably tired. And besides, Mist could go on for hours when it came to tea parties.

"Th-that's okay… She seems nice, and I don't want to disappoint her…" he said, and I though I saw him smile, but… I could be wrong.

I left him alone after that, and let him cook what he wanted to. About half an hour later, the wonderful smell of gravy and meat was flowing through the living room, and even my dad couldn't help but take in it's scent. And then, another half hour after that, Marth was calling everyone in for dinner.

Me, my dad, and Mist all sat down at the table. The first thing I noticed: Marth had set the table. When did that happen? The second thing, the bowls that were on the table were empty. Which meant he was seriously planning on serving us.

Of which, I was right. A little after we'd all sat down, Marth came out carrying the pot of stew with his oven mitt clad hand on the bottom. He ladled a good amount of stew into each of our bowls, then put the pot back in the kitchen. Mist was the first to try it, and I'd love to see her eat the vegetables that Marth had put in there.

She ate a spoonful that had a carrot, a small piece of onion, and a lump of meat in it, chewing it slowly. After that, there was no holding back. She ate bite after bite almost as fast as I do when I eat lunch at school. Then, my dad went ahead and ate some, and, though he did eat slower than Mist did, he continued to eat it to. That meant a full go for me, and I scarfed it down faster than Mist did.

From the sounds that were coming from the kitchen, I just knew that Marth was washing the dishes. No one ever washes their own dishes in this house, and Mist never washes them period. So hearing that was a little surprising to all of us. Then, we heard something frying again.

Dad didn't seem to care, and when he was finished, just went back up to his room. Mist giggled when she was done, stating she was full and running up to her room to wait for Marth. So I made it my business to see what he was doing in there. After I'd finished his delicious stew of course.

I was shocked to see him cooking again, but this time it was fried chicken, mashed potatoes, some gravy, and green beans. How many recipes does this kid know! I came up beside him, and he jumped, not expecting me. "You're cooking again?" I asked.

"Oh, well um… I, uh… I-I'm making lunch for everyone tomorrow…" Marth replied quietly, a bit embarrassed. What did he have to be embarrassed about?

"Why haven't you eaten anything yet?"

"W-well, I… I-I wanted to… t-to get this done f-first…" I looked over at the food that Marth was in the process of cooking. It didn't look like it would take much longer, but then I noticed the other pieces of raw chicken that were waiting to be fried. I couldn't help but think of my mom when I saw all that.

"Marth… you have to eat something… You haven't eaten anything all day, and I'm not so sure about yesterday…"

"I-I'll be okay… Please, j-just let me finish this…? Please, Ike…?" He made this adorable face, one I just… couldn't say no to. If you saw it, you wouldn't say no either!

"F-fine… But, as soon as you're done, you eat! And I'll sit right here and wait, just to make sure you do it!" I said, going into the dining room and sitting defiantly. No matter what, I was going to sit right there and make sure he ate afterwards.

I couldn't believe it had taken him so long when he was finished. I mean, I knew cooking took a while, but two whole hours? And all he really had to cook was chicken, everything else was done. And the look on his face when he came out the kitchen, as if he didn't expect me to still be sitting there. I gave him an expectant look, and he sighed in defeat. But before he went back into the kitchen, he gave me this tiny smile…

He came back a few seconds later with a bowl full of stew, and then ate it slowly, but I knew he was starving. He hadn't eaten anything all day, and who knows when the last time he had _real food _was. When he was done, he seemed happier, taking his dishes into the kitchen and washing them. "I have to go now… I promised Mist I would play with her…" he said quietly, making his way past me to go up the stairs.

I didn't hear anything after that, except for maybe Mist's occasional screech of joy. And in this time, I thought about what I had gotten myself into. I have taken in… a boy, about a year younger than me. He'd been tortured by his own father, was forced to eat things that were never meant to be eaten… and now, he's acting like a common housewife? Honestly, if my father weren't here, and me and Marth were just a little older, it would be like we were a miniature family… A mom, a dad, and a daughter…

Hold on, what the _hell_? What am I thinking! Marth is _not_ a housewife! And I don't think of him like that! He's simply a housemate… that acts like a housewife. Nothing wrong with that, right? Right?

_**END**_

Okay, so, rather short chapter and I'm sorry for that, but! I will try to make up for it in the next chapter, since that's when Roy Pherae makes a comeback! That's right people, next chapter will be longer and a bit graphic, but don't worry. Ike will save the day! XD Review~!


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